RACE COURSE: 5k. Big Cross International XC Course. A mix of dirt and wood-chipped trail. Several solid hills and a looping, dedicated XC venue. Sunny and fall-like. A light breeze but overall pretty nice conditions.
OVERALL: Seems like the right place to start is with a big CONGRATULATIONS! District champs and headed to State! That’s pretty amazing, since there are just 7 of you and when we sat together at the lunch tables in early September, getting to State as a team seemed like a goal we weren’t quite confident about saying. Look at you now! You all deserve to take that line next Saturday and it will be a pleasure to watch you race that course with the best competition in the 1B/2B division in the State. Soak it up and love every minute of this really unusual lifetime experience!
VARSITY GIRLS: 31 Finishers. First place team with 18 points. Tri-Cities Prep second with 42.
Leki: 19:52, 1st place. 1st Mile: 6:16, Overall pace: 6:24
You just got right down to business, taking control from the opening gun and then racing hard the whole way. Nice job lowering the PR by a few seconds (on a much harder course than Twilight) and hopefully proving to yourself that you are a sub 20 5K runner. You did an excellent job working the uphills and finding a nice quick float on the downs. While next week’s course doesn’t have any climbs quite like that, there are a few hills that you will really dominate. You are ready for this state meet -- you’ve done all the right training, you’ve kept your mental perspective positive, and you’re headed back to Pasco with a whole team of awesome young women. You’ve got everything you need for a really amazing state debut. Just don’t think too much about it and relish all the pomp and circumstance.
Jori: 20:31, 2nd place. 1st Mile: 6:23, Overall pace: 6:36
I’m getting all misty-eyed thinking that I only get to write one more race report about you. I must admit I’ve just sort of become used to getting to write a short paragraph each week about how you have pulled out yet another solid, gutsy performance. You race hard and I admire that. Whether it is a big meet or a small meet, you show up ready to go and ready to not let up. You had to do a lot of work alone today on a hard and lonely course, but you are seasoned enough now, you know what to do. Your consistency through the years has been astounding and something I hope you are really proud of. Take that line with Lion Pride one more time next week and just let it rip. You’re ready to finish big.
Payten: 22:19, 6th place. 1st Mile: 6:45, Overall pace: 7:11
That sonic boom was heard across the state -- what a big impact you just had! Just one second off your PR from Wenatchee and 16 seconds faster than a fast Twilight course. And, you’re doing all this nursing those hip/shin injuries. You’ve done an excellent job handling the frustration of needing to bike while others run and saving your running for the key workouts and races. I know this is not easy - but it is really paying off. You know you’ve got the grit to dig deep and you are running with a new sense of joy. It’s just plain fun to watch. One more run with friends next week. Keep riding this wave.
Dashe: 22:47, 7th place. 1st Mile: 6:52, Overall pace: 7:20
That was not the race you wanted and I’m sorry about that. It’s really rough when your stomach rebels and honestly the fact that you stuck with it and pulled out the race you did is a testament to your determination and loyalty to your team. I hope you let those characteristics be the things you take away from this race and that you know your teammates and Erik and I value you way beyond times and places. You matter to this team not because you finish in a certain spot or beat other teams, but because you are Dashe McCabe -- our future drummer rockstar, the one person who regularly laughs at Erik’s puns and jokes, and just an overall amazing person who works hard, cares about her team, and can make the most amazing animal noises that get us all belly-laughing. I have every confidence that next week you’ll feel better AND that we can find a way to just enjoy the sheer privilege of getting to run at State. No one needs you to perform any certain way next week -- we just need you to be Dashe. Because that is enough.
Ayeanna: 22:55, 8th place, 1st Mile: 7:02, Overall pace: 7:23
Oh, yes! A 10 second PR over Twilight -- which is arguably quite a bit faster of a course. You are totally coming on strong right at the right time of the season. You will most definitely not be alone next week at State and when you get in a pack to race, I suspect you’ll really surprise yourself with how fast and strong you are. You did such an excellent job getting out on that hard first mile and then working hard all the way through the middle. You had an excellent rhythm going and you just looked so confident. One last race in the green uniform -- it’s going to be a good one.
Sandra: 23:33, 10th place, 1st Mile: 7:29, Overall pace: 7:35
What a smart racer you have become. This race, in particular, you seemed to know exactly when and where you wanted to make your moves and you so brilliantly just moved from pack to pack. 10th place --- that’s phenomenal! You raced hard all the way to the line and you beat all of Tri-Cities Prep runners but one. This was a 13 second 5K PR on a much slower course than Twilight. Wow. You are a good runner on a good team. Enjoy that!
Zoe: 24:31, 17th place, 1st Mile: 7:47, Overall pace: 7:53
Oh my goodness...Zoe is unstoppable. You were flying down that last hill, windmilling those arms and just so confidently charging to the finish line. And, while you’ve always had a great kick, you’ve also learned to give a bit more in the opening mile and remain confident that you can endure the pain of racing hard for the full 5K. You did such a truly inspiring job of pushing yourself early and really racing with the people around you. This is a HUGE PR and I hope a big confidence booster for you. You go to that line next week knowing you earned your spot.
